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POLITICO Playbook PM: NEW: What America’s governors want from Trump

President Donald Trump and VP Mike Pence are meeting with governors on Thursday where they will outline their requests for the administration. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

NEWS: THE NATION’S GOVERNORS are going to be talking to President DONALD TRUMP andVP MIKE PENCE today at 2 p.m. Here are the FIVE THINGS they are going to ask from TRUMP and the federal government:

1) They want the government to dedicate at least half of the supplemental funding directly to states and for the W.H. to provide quick action on waiver requests.2) They want increased access to personal protective equipment, masks, test kits, extraction kits and to quicken the production of life-saving equipment like ventilators.3) Support Title 32 -- which allows governors to call National Guardsmen to active duty, with the approval of the president.4) They want guidance on the implementation of the Defense Production Act -- they want to know what the administration is prioritizing.5) Allow more time for completion of the Census and REAL ID.

MEMO from the National Governors Association, led by Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN and N.Y. Gov. ANDREW CUOMO.

AT THE BEGINNING of the president’s briefing, the Dow was up 251 points. By the time it ended, it was up 187 points. (It seesawed a bit during the briefing, but of course, there are lots of things going on that could impact the markets.)

THE PRESIDENT said social distancing is a “hot term” now. … TRUMP on members of Congress testing positive for coronavirus: “It’s one of those things. It’s Congress.” Ain’t that right.

PAGING CONGRESS: TRUMP said he supported the government taking equity stakes in some companies. If BARACK OBAMA said this at any point in his presidency, it would be a massive story. Remember the 2009 stimulus bill?

-- TRUMP said the FDA is exploring the use of a few therapeutic drugs that have already been approved by the FDA for other uses to help treat the coronavirus. “This could be a tremendous breakthrough,” he said. FDA Commissioner STEPHEN HAHN said these drugs could provide a “bridge to other therapies” that could take three to six months to develop.

-- NOTE: Per our colleagues DAN DIAMOND and SARAH OWERMOHLE, there may be less here than meets the eye. Trump’s tease Wednesday of an “exciting FDA announcement,” they report, “caught some in the health agency by surprise as they scrambled to finalize details.”

ASKED WHEN LIFE WILL RETURN BACK TO NORMAL: Trump said we’re in “unchartered territory.” He added: “I hope very soon,” but did not provide any timeline. FOR BUSINESSES: “You’ll be able to tell a lot in a week or so, not everything.”

WHY THE HOUSE (PROBABLY) WON’T START MOBILE VOTING … IT SEEMS LOGICAL: During a massive pandemic that’s killing people, why wouldn’t Congress put in place a system to allow members of Congress to vote from home?

-- AT THIS POINT, IT’S EXCEEDINGLY UNLIKELY the House is going to do this, according to sources in the leadership of both parties. First, they believe the technology is not up to snuff (see Iowa Democratic Party, for one prime example). Second, there is more to a floor debate than voting yes or no. How would lawmakers send a motion to the desk from their home, for example, or offer a motion to recommit? Third, the system is untested legally, and Republicans and Democrats believe it's susceptible to court challenges.

RIGHT NOW, there is no firm plan of action when the Senate passes its Phase Three bill. BUT HERE IS A SCENARIO under consideration: House Democrats and Republicans will canvass their membership to see if the bill has enough support to pass.

-- ONCE THAT HAPPENS, if they determine the bill will pass, the House could try to pass the package by unanimous consent, and allow lawmakers to put in the Congressional Record how they would’ve voted if they were present. This is standard operating procedure should a lawmaker miss a vote. This would then serve as the “vote count” -- or historical record -- for the $1-trillion plus package.

-- THIS ISN’T FOOL PROOF. If any member objects to the unanimous consent or calls for quorum, they’d have to bring back the majority of the House -- 216 lawmakers.

-- AIDES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE note that the country was governed on voice vote during the 1918 flu pandemic.

-- IF THE HOUSE has to come back, there are conversations about how to keep lawmakers safe during the vote. One strategy under discussion is the leadership would keep the vote open for an extended period of time, and have clusters of lawmakers enter through different doors during different times.

STENY HOYER LETTER TO HIS COLLEAGUES: “In light of the guidance issued by the CDC, we will be adjusting the House schedule. It is my intention that the House will not return to session until we are in a position to vote on the third piece of emergency legislation to respond to the economic impact of this crisis.

“I share the concerns of many Members regarding the number of Members on the House Floor at any one time. I therefore expect that the House will adjust our voting procedures in order to follow the CDC’s recommendations. No decisions have been made on exactly what these changes will be, but we will be discussing all options. After consulting with our Members and deciding how we will proceed, we will give notice to Members well in advance of any votes.”

EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

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At America’s beverage companies our plastic bottles are made to be remade. We’re carefully designing them to be 100% recyclable, including the caps—so every bottle can become a new one. That means less plastic waste in our environment. Please help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org

Good Thursday afternoon.

HOW WE GOT HERE -- “A Cascade of Warnings, Heard but Unheeded, Before Virus Outbreak,” by NYT’s David Sanger, Eric Lipton, Eileen Sullivan and Michael Crowley: “In the United States, it was first detected in Chicago, and 47 days later the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. By then it was too late: 110 million Americans were expected to become ill, leading to 7.7 million hospitalized and 586,000 dead.

“That scenario, code-named ‘Crimson Contagion,’ was simulated by the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services in a series of exercises that ran from last January to August. The simulation’s sobering results — contained in a draft report dated October 2019 that has not previously been reported — drove home just how underfunded, underprepared and uncoordinated the federal government would be for a life-or-death battle with a virus for which no treatment existed. …

“Many of the potentially deadly consequences of a failure to address the shortcomings are now playing out in all-too-real fashion across the country. And it was hardly the first warning for the nation’s leaders. Three times over the past four years the U.S. government, across two administrations, had grappled in depth with what a pandemic would look like, identifying likely shortcomings and in some cases recommending specific action.” NYT

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DAN DIAMOND and HALLEY TOOSI: “State Department to tell Americans abroad to come home or shelter in place”: “The State Department is set to announce a level 4 travel advisory applying to all international travel, its most serious warning, two individuals with knowledge of the pending announcement said.

“The advisory would instruct all Americans abroad to either return to the United States or prepare to shelter in place, given the global threat of the coronavirus outbreak. Americans also would be instructed not to travel abroad. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has approved the advisory, the individuals said.” POLITICO

…ACROSS GOV’T: “FAA chief to self-quarantine, after contact with member of Congress,”by Brianna Gurciullo and Tanya Snyder: “The head of the Federal Aviation Administration will self-quarantine for a week, after he shook hands with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart days before the Florida Republican developed coronavirus symptoms, the agency confirmed this morning. Steve Dickson and Diaz-Balart shook hands before an appropriations hearing on March 11.”

BLEEDING BEGINS … AP: “Jobless claims jump by 70,000”: “The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits surged last week by 70,000, indicating that the impact of the coronavirus was starting to be felt in rising layoffs in the job market.

“The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for benefits, a good proxy for layoffs, rose by 70,000 to a seasonally adjusted 281,000 last week.

“Both the one-week rise and the total number of applications were far above the levels seen over the past year as the country’s unemployment rate fell to a half-century low of 3.5%. Economists are predicting a surge in layoffs as efforts to contain the spreading coronavirus result in people losing jobs in a variety of industries from restaurants and bars to airlines and hotels.”

-- KEVIN HASSETT -- TRUMP’s former CEA chair -- said the United States will have the “worst jobs numbers you ever saw” by April.

HMM … WAPO’S LENA SUN: “CDC, the top U.S. public health agency, is sidelined during coronavirus pandemic”: “Neither CDC Director Robert Redfield nor Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director who has played key roles in CDC’s emergency responses stretching back two decades, including the 2009 influenza pandemic, have appeared behind the podium during White House coronavirus task force briefings for more than a week. …

“The CDC, which has come under fire because of protracted delays in the rollout of agency-developed testing kits, has not conducted its own telephone briefings for reporters in more than a week. Recent CDC recommendations on school closures and mass gatherings were overtaken by different guidelines issued by the White House coronavirus task force, creating confusion, experts and officials said.” WaPo

WAR REPORT -- “U.S. pauses Afghanistan deployments, isolates arrivals there,” by AP’s Lolita Baldor: “The U.S. military is pausing the movement of any new troops into Afghanistan and is quarantining 1,500 troops and civilians who recently arrived to avoid any possible spread of the coronavirus, the top commander in the country said Thursday. Troops who are already in the country may have their deployments extended so missions can continue. …

“In a tweet, Army Gen. Scott Miller said the military has started new screening procedures for personnel arriving in the country. About 1,500 service members, civilians and contractors who have gone to Afghanistan from various countries in the past week are living in screening facilities. Miller said most are either new deployments or people returning from leave and they are being quarantined ‘out of an abundance of caution, not because they are sick.’ He added that the U.S.-led coalition is also limiting access to critical personnel and bases.” AP

THE FED’S LATEST MOVE -- “U.S. Fed establishes currency swaps with 9 central banks,” by AP’s Christopher Rugaber: “The Federal Reserve has set up a program to exchange dollars for foreign currency with nine central banks to support dollar lending in global markets that are under pressure from the impact of the viral outbreak. The move, announced Thursday, enables foreign banks to provide dollars to their banks that sometimes lend and trade in US currency. …

“The currency swaps established Thursday are capped at $60 billion for six central banks in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Korea and Sweden. The exchange lines are capped at $30 billion for central banks in Denmark, Norway and New Zealand. Under the swaps, the Fed provides dollars for an equal amount of foreign currency, which it can also use in short-term lending to banks if needed.” AP

AT THE AIRPORTS -- “Airport screenings dip below 1 million per day,” by Betsy Woodruff Swan: “The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened fewer than one million travelers on March 17 — making it the slowest day at airports since the so-called ‘Snowpocalypse’ in 2011. According to new data from the TSA, the agency screened 983,226 on Tuesday.

“That was the fewest daily travelers going through TSA checkpoints since Feb. 1, 2011, when a massive blizzard snarled air traffic across North America. Before Snowpocalypse, the last day when TSA officers screened fewer than a million travelers was May 30, 2004, per the agency’s numbers.” POLITICO … The TSA report

ISRAEL UPDATE -- “Israel’s Netanyahu accused of exploiting virus crisis,” by AP’s Aron Heller in Jerusalem: “Amid a wave of sweeping restrictions that have put Israel in near shutdown mode, [PM Benjamin] Netanyahu has managed to postpone his own pending criminal trial, authorize unprecedented electronic surveillance of Israeli citizens and block parliament from pressing ahead with legislation aimed at pushing him from office. The moves, on the heels of the country’s third inconclusive election in less than a year and under the shadow of Netanyahu’s corruption indictment, sparked leading opposition figure Yair Lapid to tell Israeli citizens that they ‘no longer live in a democracy.’” AP

AND THEN THERE WERE (OFFICIALLY) TWO … Rep. TULSI GABBARD (D-Hawaii) announced that she is suspending her presidential campaign today. She said she will be supporting Joe Biden. The announcement… More from Quint Forgey

SPOTTED: Sean Spicer in the White House briefing room this morning. Pic

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About The Author : Anna Palmer

Anna Palmer is a senior Washington correspondent for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics. Anna covers the world of Congress and politics, and has successfully chronicled the business of Washington insiders for years. Her stories take readers behind the scenes for the biggest fights in Washington as well as the 2016 election.

She is also the co-author of New York Times and national best seller, "The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump's America," which was published by Crown in 2019.

In addition to Playbook, Anna is also editorial director of Women Rule, a POLITICO platform that is dedicated to expanding leadership opportunities for women at all stages of their career.

Prior to becoming POLITICO’s senior Washington correspondent, she was the co-author of the daily newsletter, POLITICO Influence, considered a must-read on K Street. Anna previously covered House leadership and lobbying as a staff writer for Roll Call. She got her start in Washington journalism as a lobbying business reporter for the industry newsletter Influence. She has also worked at Legal Times, where she covered the intersection of money and politics for the legal and lobbying industry, first as a staff writer and then as an editor.

A native of North Dakota, Anna is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where she was executive editor of the weekly campus newspaper, the Manitou Messenger. She lives in Washington, D.C.

About The Author : Jake Sherman

Jake Sherman is a senior writer for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the nation's leading political newsletter. He is also the co-author of New York Times and national best seller, "The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump's America," which was published by Crown in 2019. Jake is an NBC and MSNBC political contributor.

Since 2009, Jake has chronicled all of the major legislative battles on Capitol Hill, and has also traveled the country to cover the battle for control of Congress.

Jake is a Connecticut native, and a graduate of The George Washington University — where he edited The GW Hatchet — and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Jake lives in Washington with his wife Irene, son and daughter, and listens to an unhealthy amount of Grateful Dead and Phish.

About The Author : Eli Okun

Eli Okun is a Playbook producer and Playbook PM co-author.

Before joining POLITICO in 2017, he worked as a reporter for the New Hampshire Union Leader, covering local news and the 2016 election. He has also written for The Texas Tribune, Providence Business News and GlobalPost.

A Maryland native, he graduated from Brown University, where he studied international relations and was editor-in-chief of The Brown Daily Herald.

About The Author : Garrett Ross

Garrett Ross is a Playbook producer and Playbook PM co-author.

Before joining POLITICO in 2017, he interned on The New York Times' copy desk and reported for The Associated Press on the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Despite calling Indiana, Kentucky and Maryland home, he graduated from Penn State University, where he studied print and digital journalism and served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian.